15 Secrets Your Waiter Will Never Tell You

Shannon023

I just found this article here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/15-secrets-your-waiter-will-never-tell-you-2447556/

We eat out a lot and I go out of my way to be nice to the waitstaff because I basically fear them. :laugh:

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What you should know on Valentine's Day
1. Make reservations early. Restaurants usually don't have an abundance of tables for two. We need to time to plan where to put everyone. You'll get a better table and we'll be prepared.

2. Don't propose. It's so cliché. But if you do, warn us first. We'll put you in the corner. Nothing's worse than a crying woman in the center of the restaurant. Trust me.

3. Since Valentine's Day is on a Monday this year, go out on Friday or Saturday. Most restaurants will also serve their special Valentine's Day menu on those days. Or go out for brunch! Then you can sleep the rest of the day.
—Waiters at Bernard's in Ridgefield, CT

PLUS: More Secrets Your Waiter Will Never Tell You

What we lie about
4. We’re not allowed to tell our customers we don’t like a dish. So if you ask your server how something is and she says, “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” chances are she doesn’t like it.
—Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

PLUS: 13 Things Your Florist Won't Tell You

5. If someone orders a frozen drink that’s annoying to make, I’ll say, “Oh, we’re out. Sorry!” when really I just don’t want to make it. But if you order water instead of another drink, suddenly we do have what you originally wanted because I don’t want to lose your drink on the bill.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

What you don’t want to know
6. When I was at one bakery restaurant, they used to make this really yummy peach cobbler in a big tray. A lot of times, servers don’t have time to eat. So we all kept a fork in our aprons, and as we cruised through the kitchen, we’d stick our fork in the cobbler and take a bite. We’d use the same fork each time.
—Kathy Kniss

7. If you make a big fuss about sending your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we like to take your spoon and run it under really hot water, so when you put the hot spoon in your mouth, you’re going to get the impression — often the very painful impression — that your soup is indeed hot.
—Chris

8. We put sugar in our kids' meals so kids will like them more. Seriously. We even put extra sugar in the dough for the kids' pizzas.
-Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

PLUS: 25 Tips to Order Healthy Choices at Any Restaurant

What drives us crazy
9. Oh, you needed more water so badly, you had to snap or tap or whistle? I’ll be right back … in ten minutes.
—Charity Ohlund

10. The single greatest way to get your waiter to hate you? Ask for hot tea. For some reason, an industry that’s managed to streamline everything else hasn’t been able to streamline that. You've got to get a pot, boil the water, get the lemons, get the honey, bring a cup and spoon. It’s a lot of work for little reward.
-Christopher Fehlinger, maître d’ at a popular New York City restaurant

PLUS: More Valentine's Day Waiter Secrets

What we want you to know
11. Sometimes, if you’ve been especially nice to me, I’ll tell the bartender, “Give me a frozen margarita, and don’t put it in.” That totally gyps the company, but it helps me because you’ll give it back to me in tips, and the management won’t know the difference.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

12. If you’re having a disagreement over dinner and all of a sudden other servers come by to refill your water or clear your plates, or you notice a server slowly refilling the salt and pepper shakers at the table next to yours, assume that we’re listening.
—Charity Ohlund

PLUS: 15 Foods You Should Never Buy Again

How to be a good customer
13. Use your waiter’s name. When I say, “Hi, my name is JR, and I’ll be taking care of you,” it’s great when you say, “Hi, JR. How are you doing tonight?” Then, the next time you go in, ask for that waiter. He may not remember you, but if you requested him, he’s going to give you really special service.
—JR, waiter at a fine-dining restaurant and author of the blog servernotslave.wordpress.com

14. Trust your waitress. Say something like “Hey, it’s our first time in. We want you to create an experience for us. Here’s our budget.” Your server will go crazy for you.
— Charity Ohlund

PLUS: 10 Foods You Shouldn't Order on a Date

What you need to know about tipping
15. If you walk out with the slip you wrote the tip on and leave behind the blank one, the server gets nothing. It happens all the time, especially with people who’ve had a few bottles of wine.
—Judi Santana

SarahR1984

I like that. Some of it makes me not want to go out, like the apple cobbler part, but I worked in food service before so it doesn't surprise me. Some good tips in there. Thanks for sharing

Carl01

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Shannon023

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Low cut blouses.

FORKDOWN

I handle credit card receipts with my company and notice sometimes that tips are written down but not charged. So I try to remember to tip in cash.

FORKDOWN

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Low cut blouses.

Wear the red one Carl!!

:smokin:

sweetheart03622

I waited tables for 6 years (just FINALLY got financially stable enough to quit my last serving job about 2 weeks ago). Some of the stuff on here is absolute crap, some is genius. Truthfully, if you ask most of us if we like something, we'll tell you the truth. If someone pulls the whole "one of our most popular..." they're usually not experienced enough to know what to do and don't know that being honest is going to work better in the long run. Agreed about the proposal thing... I've seen it happen a few times, and it's cheesy... and expect the entire staff to be huddled in a corner watching you. The apple cobler thing is pretty standard. My restaurant had chips and salsa and we'd always be walking by, grabbing chips, and dipping them straight into the GIANT thing of salsa.

Carl... regarding the drinks... most bartenders, if you give them a good tip (more than the stand $1... bump it to 2 or 3) on your first drink, you'll get stronger ones the rest of the time. Keep it at $1 tip for the next few and then every now and then bump it up again. Don't pull the whole "here's $20 for the night, make me happy" because then we already have your money and have no motivation to please you further (it's true, sorry, we just want your money).

A few other things to note... If you can't afford to tip, don't you dare order the most expensive food and drinks on the menu. I live in Chicago, which has a ridiculously high minimum wage, and the servers only make $4.65/hour. This is all taken out in taxes. I would work full-time and get a $10 paycheck (no benefits, just taxes). Tip your server. A lot of them are students and parents that have mortgages, car payments, etc.

If something looks weird in your food, just deal with it. Most of the time, it's not a big deal. If there's a hair, or something else gross, tell us, we'll be pissed and grossed out too and throw a fit for you in the kitchen. If there's a little bit of onion that mixed in with the cheese that's been added to your salad, and you send it back, expect bad service the rest of your evening.

That is all... for now :laugh:

sweetheart03622

hot tea wasn't the one I hated making most.... mine was chocolate milk!

We had premade chocolate milk... hot tea and coffee were horrible and no one is EVER happy with them. Breakfast place = the place for tea and coffee. Bar & grill at 8pm = not the time for tea and coffee

Shannon023

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Low cut blouses.

Wear the red one Carl!!

:smokin:

It does bring the bloodshot out of his eyes, doesn't it??

*giggle*

Shannon023

I waited tables for 6 years (just FINALLY got financially stable enough to quit my last serving job about 2 weeks ago). Some of the stuff on here is absolute crap, some is genius. Truthfully, if you ask most of us if we like something, we'll tell you the truth.

That is all... for now :laugh:

Went out to dinner with a group of friends once and my friend ordered the Philly Steak sandwich. The waiter warned him that the cook didn't know how to make a Philly Steak sandwich very well but he ordered it anyway.

I don't think a pitbull could have chewed through it and we just laughed and laughed at my poor friend. :laugh:

So lesson of the day, if they tell you not to order something, DON'T! :laugh:

Carl01

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Low cut blouses.

Wear the red one Carl!!

:smokin:

That one always did turn you on.

mikeyml

I just found this article here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/15-secrets-your-waiter-will-never-tell-you-2447556/

We eat out a lot and I go out of my way to be nice to the waitstaff because I basically fear them. :laugh:

What you should know on Valentine's Day
1. Make reservations early. Restaurants usually don't have an abundance of tables for two. We need to time to plan where to put everyone. You'll get a better table and we'll be prepared.

2. Don't propose. It's so cliché. But if you do, warn us first. We'll put you in the corner. Nothing's worse than a crying woman in the center of the restaurant. Trust me.

3. Since Valentine's Day is on a Monday this year, go out on Friday or Saturday. Most restaurants will also serve their special Valentine's Day menu on those days. Or go out for brunch! Then you can sleep the rest of the day.

What we lie about
4. We’re not allowed to tell our customers we don’t like a dish. So if you ask your server how something is and she says, “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” chances are she doesn’t like it.

5. If someone orders a frozen drink that’s annoying to make, I’ll say, “Oh, we’re out. Sorry!” when really I just don’t want to make it. But if you order water instead of another drink, suddenly we do have what you originally wanted because I don’t want to lose your drink on the bill.

What you don’t want to know
6. When I was at one bakery restaurant, they used to make this really yummy peach cobbler in a big tray. A lot of times, servers don’t have time to eat. So we all kept a fork in our aprons, and as we cruised through the kitchen, we’d stick our fork in the cobbler and take a bite. We’d use the same fork each time.

7. If you make a big fuss about sending your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we like to take your spoon and run it under really hot water, so when you put the hot spoon in your mouth, you’re going to get the impression — often the very painful impression — that your soup is indeed hot.

8. We put sugar in our kids' meals so kids will like them more. Seriously. We even put extra sugar in the dough for the kids' pizzas.

What drives us crazy
9. Oh, you needed more water so badly, you had to snap or tap or whistle? I’ll be right back … in ten minutes.

10. The single greatest way to get your waiter to hate you? Ask for hot tea. For some reason, an industry that’s managed to streamline everything else hasn’t been able to streamline that. You've got to get a pot, boil the water, get the lemons, get the honey, bring a cup and spoon. It’s a lot of work for little reward.

What we want you to know
11. Sometimes, if you’ve been especially nice to me, I’ll tell the bartender, “Give me a frozen margarita, and don’t put it in.” That totally gyps the company, but it helps me because you’ll give it back to me in tips, and the management won’t know the difference.

12. If you’re having a disagreement over dinner and all of a sudden other servers come by to refill your water or clear your plates, or you notice a server slowly refilling the salt and pepper shakers at the table next to yours, assume that we’re listening.

How to be a good customer
13. Use your waiter’s name. When I say, “Hi, my name is JR, and I’ll be taking care of you,” it’s great when you say, “Hi, JR. How are you doing tonight?” Then, the next time you go in, ask for that waiter. He may not remember you, but if you requested him, he’s going to give you really special service.

14. Trust your waitress. Say something like “Hey, it’s our first time in. We want you to create an experience for us. Here’s our budget.” Your server will go crazy for you.

What you need to know about tipping
15. If you walk out with the slip you wrote the tip on and leave behind the blank one, the server gets nothing. It happens all the time, especially with people who’ve had a few bottles of wine.

I worked as a waiter and bartender for 7 years at a lot of different places and some of this stuff is rubbish. But some of it is good to know.

#1is rubbish. Waiters don't deal with reservations and have no control over what table you get. If it's a big place they don't even know what section they will be working until that day.

#2 is rubbish. A lot of high end restaurants want you to go there for special occasions. And honestly would you rather sit near a romantic special occasion or a crying baby that needs a diaper change?

#3 is somewhat true if you want to avoid the crowd. But if you are into V-day and you want to feel the energy then go out for dinner.

#4 is rubbish. Most restaurants encourage the waitstaff to try every item on the menu so they can describe it to their customers. You will not like everything and it's better to be honest. If an item on the menu isn't selling well it isn't necessarily the waitstaff's fault - it's most likely the kitchen's fault.

#5 is rubbish. Waiters don't make the drinks - bartenders do. And if you work at a small place where you make the drinks and you refuse to make one because you're lazy then you're a horrible waiter. Alcohol boosts the check which boosts your tip. Drinks are an upsell and you can get fired for this kind of thing.

#6.is completely possible. When you wait tables you work 8-12 hours without any breaks for a meal. Often you have to eat on the go and grab whatever you can.

#7 is rubbish. I've never even heard of that. Stuff like that will get you fired.

#8 is total rubbish. Waiters don't make the food - the kitchen does. If there is extra sugar added then it was done by the head chef or corporate level.

#9. is somewhat true but only because it's water and not a drink you have to pay for. Waiters want to earn money. Ignoring your table is not how you earn money.

#10 is absolutely true. Tea is a total pain in the a**. You have to bring out the mug and the tea bags and the hot water. 3 items to carry for 1 drink.

#11 is somewhat true. Being nice alone won't do it. If you are a return customer and the waiter knows he will get a good tip from you then yes he will ask the bartender for a free drink.

#12 is somewhat true. It's also a sign that the waiters shift is getting ready to end and they are cleaning up so they can go home. A lot of times if they want to leave without telling the table to go then they will refill salt / sugar on the tables near by.

#13 is true. If you actually make eye contact with your server and treat them like a human then they will work harder for you.

#14 is not really true. The waiters job is to upsell and get you to spend as much money as possible. Buy drinks, appetizers, desserts.

#15 is completely true. And if you only leave 10% then they won't give you good service the next time you come in.

janiebeth

It doesn`t tell how to get them to mix the drinks stronger though.

Low cut blouses.

Wear the red one Carl!!
:smokin:

The red flannel one - mmmmmmm......